HNC Childhood Practice (Primary Teaching Focus)

Course overview

The HNC Childhood Practice (Primary Teaching Focus) is for applicants interested in progressing to further study on an initial primary education degree at university. Successful completion can also enable you to pursue a career in the early education, childcare or playwork sectors or to study at higher levels in Childhood Practice or Childhood Studies. This qualification is accepted by the Scottish Social Services Council for registration as a practitioner in the daycare of children service.

This is a nationally recognised qualification and valued award for people who want to work in various settings, supporting children and young people with varying needs.

You will gain a thorough knowledge of working within the national curriculum for children aged 3-18 years, Curriculum for Excellence, and become adept at using this to create learning opportunities and experiences for children.

The course will give you a deep understanding of working with children and young people and help you to integrate knowledge and theory into practice, including the importance of the Health and Social Care Standards and Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice.

This course will focus on working in primary education, and examine the wider perspective of supporting children's play, learning and development in a range of childhood practice settings.

This course will teach the importance of play to children's development, leadership skills, a thorough understanding of child development theories, strategies to support children with additional support needs, how to understand and support children's behaviour, contemporary family issues, collaborative working and the importance of health, wellbeing and safeguarding.

Take your next step towards changing your life and the lives of children.  What you will learn

During the course, the students will learn values, skills and knowledge to enable them to support children and young people. This will include:

• Developing an understanding of the values and principles that underpin work in childhood practice settings.

• Understanding how the Health and Social Care Standards and SSSC Codes of Practice inform working practices in the childhood practice sector.

• Developing an understanding of the variety of childhood practice settings in the sector.

• Developing skills appropriate for working with and supporting a wide range of individuals in childhood practice settings.

• Have an individual and child-centred focus in your practice.

• Learning how to ensure inclusion in everyday work practice.

• Critically evaluate your practice and be a reflective practitioner.

• Developing a good working knowledge of current legislation, policy and guidance.

• We promote active learning, and you will take part in activities in and out of the classroom.

In addition -

• You will build knowledge of evaluation tools such as How Good Is Our School to help you reflect, respond and develop your practice within the school.

• You will become familiar with the role of HMIE (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education).

• Within the teaching and assessments, the age range will focus on primary-aged children.

Placement information

• This course has a mandatory work placement throughout the year.

• Full-time students are on placement 2 days per week.

• There are specific units of study in this course that must be achieved in the workplace.

• The college placement coordinators will arrange your placement.

• A satisfactory PVG check is required before placement starts, the college will arrange this.

How the course is assessed

• You will be continually assessed through project work, essays, reflective accounts, research tasks and presentations.

Number of days per week

• Sighthill campus – two days per week (Monday and Tuesday)

• You will also do two days per week on a work placement (Wednesday and Thursday)